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AIBU?

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Original poster

Landlords as neighbours

63 replies

Nmchnger · 23/04/2024 09:39

We were unexpectedly evicted (no fault eviction, landlady suddenly decided to sell up) after living in our previous property for over 10 years. In Yorkshire (as it appears in most of the country) the rental market is a nightmare at the minute and we struggled to find somewhere, it did look for a while like we were going to be homeless but at the last minute we found a beautiful house on a lovely street.

It was all done through an agency. When we turned up to view the neighbours were in the garden and we had a brief chat. It now transpires that they are our landlords and told the agency not to disclose this. I love the house and due to the necessity looking back I don't think it would have made a difference, but I sometimes feel like we're under constant surveillance and I do feel a bit duped by the agency. AIBU to feel like we should have been told?

OP posts:
Todaywasbetter · 26/04/2024 19:39

Isn’t it? Illegal to charge a tenant fees

Ooral · 26/04/2024 19:27

Nmchnger · 23/04/2024 09:39

We were unexpectedly evicted (no fault eviction, landlady suddenly decided to sell up) after living in our previous property for over 10 years. In Yorkshire (as it appears in most of the country) the rental market is a nightmare at the minute and we struggled to find somewhere, it did look for a while like we were going to be homeless but at the last minute we found a beautiful house on a lovely street.

It was all done through an agency. When we turned up to view the neighbours were in the garden and we had a brief chat. It now transpires that they are our landlords and told the agency not to disclose this. I love the house and due to the necessity looking back I don't think it would have made a difference, but I sometimes feel like we're under constant surveillance and I do feel a bit duped by the agency. AIBU to feel like we should have been told?

How did you find out that the neighbour was your LL? If they didn't tell you themselves, then I expect it is because they want you to use agent and not bang on door if there is a problem.
Or they might be weird..... hopefully it's first!

Somersetmumma28 · 26/04/2024 18:45

dick27 · 26/04/2024 17:47

Ex landlord here, I understood that by law you had a right to know who the landlord was/is including the address?

Not correct. You have a right to have an address to service notices to but no legal right to know their home address. Their name should have been on the lease though.

Pemba · 26/04/2024 18:44

dick27 · 26/04/2024 17:47

Ex landlord here, I understood that by law you had a right to know who the landlord was/is including the address?

You do have a right to know an address for the landlord, but unfortunately this can be just 'care of the letting agents', so you'd be none the wiser. You can also find out who owns a property by getting the records from the Land Registry, although this involves a charge (about £6 five years ago).

Somersetmumma28 · 26/04/2024 18:43

Im
an agent and many years ago we had exactly this same situation. Landlords didn’t want tenants knocking on their doors at all hours with issues so we managed it without tenants knowing. It’s landlords choice and it never caused an issue.

wrensby · 26/04/2024 18:16

Yorkshire? It's not two detached houses next to each other is it?

Mumtryingtolivethedream · 26/04/2024 17:59

LauderSyme · 23/04/2024 09:52

YANBU for feeling duped.

It is creepy and surreptitious of the LL to ask for this fact to be kept secret prior to securing new tenants. One has to wonder what their agenda was. It certainly feels disrespectful and infantilising.

I think I would be tempted to ask them why they felt it was necessary or desirable to lie by omission. It is important not to be deceitful in this manner and is why courts of law extract our promise to tell the whole truth.

However, it isn't really fair to blame the agents, who were only acting on the instructions of the clients who paid them. They have a responsibility - and financial motive - to do what they're told.

It's not creepy at all they are letting through an agency so have every right to be anonymous it's for their convenience. some tenants knowing the landlord lived nearby could constantly harass them so it works both ways.
If you're a decent tenant you've no need to worry

Boomer55 · 26/04/2024 17:55

Nmchnger · 23/04/2024 13:55

However, it isn't really fair to blame the agents, who were only acting on the instructions of the clients who paid them. They have a responsibility - and financial motive - to do what they're told.

But surely we're their clients too. After all we paid them the (extortionate) administration fee.

No, the landlord is the main payer. If you intend paying the rent, and not running riot, I can’t see the problem.🤷‍♀️

dick27 · 26/04/2024 17:47

Ex landlord here, I understood that by law you had a right to know who the landlord was/is including the address?

Pemba · 26/04/2024 16:19

As you say you're in England (Yorkshire) you should not have been charged an admin fee, as these were abolished for tenants a few years ago. Maybe look into that, it is not legal. Unless you mean the deposit?

We found on a tenancy after moving in that the landlord lived next door. We complained to the agency who we had rented from for several years, and were told that the landlord liked his privacy, that's why. We were bound to find out quickly anyway, as he liked to (try to) deal with maintenance issues himself and there were a lot.!

Letting Agents will always put the landlord's wishes ahead of the tenant's, as its the landlord who is their client, legally. Not to the extent of breaking the law, hopefully, but sometimes it can be borderline.

That landlord was pretty unpleasant really, I would really try to make sure we didn't end up with a landlord neighbour again. With a nice responsive one, (but not over intrusive) it would probably be less of an issue. But still.... we value our privacy too!

maddiemookins16mum · 26/04/2024 16:05

It’s like having to sit next to your boss when hot desking, you have to be on your best behaviour (and can’t eat Quavers at your desk or make a call to the vets etc). You sort of feel watched over.

YANBU.

springsprungx · 26/04/2024 15:49

What a thread!! I rent out multiple properties (they were all homes). My worse nightmare would be to live next door to my tenants: I am attentive and sort issues within 2 hours etc, but I don't want them to be seeing me daily.

Having said that, one property is a prime property and only being rented out as a relative died from Covid, so not really rental, which means I am even more hands-on with it, so it would benefit me (and tenants) to be living next door to them. I even just spent 2 weeks living in it, in between tenants to ensure everything was still working perfectly and place remains immaculate, as it should /be.

sunshineandrain82 · 26/04/2024 15:40

We had a similar situation and it was awful. First 3 years was ok but they would walk around the property uninvited and unannounced but the final year was awful.

Would walk in to the house when they felt like it.
Send parcels to the house.
We ended up calling the police multiple times due to harassment and intimidation from them.

We wish estate agents had disclosed before hand that they lived opposite.

Final thing really did it for me. Day we left, min we removed our last vehicle we drove past after collecting our child from school. To see her walking out the house. Before we handed keys back.

Wasn't a surprise when we then were told of "damages" and charges for those. Fortunately we did a walk through. Reported to police and our response to estate agents said that. Soon as the office opened we had our deposit back within the hour.

daffodilandtulip · 26/04/2024 15:35

When we rented, the landlord lived in the same village. He knocked every time he passed and saw a weed or that the bins were in the wrong place or that the hedge needed trimming...

peakygold · 26/04/2024 15:30

It's bad enough when you arrive at the holiday rental and find the owners live next door, so I can't imagine what it's like living next to the landlord.

Noseybookworm · 26/04/2024 14:19

Did they tell you they're your landlords? Seems odd if they previously kept it secret. Maybe they wanted to see what you were like before they disclosed it?

Birch101 · 26/04/2024 14:15

If i was renting a property next door I would not disclose it either. They are probably paying a estate agent monthly fees to not have to deal with tenants directly so to have people then just doing a 'quick knock about xyz' would drive me insane

LumpyandBumps · 26/04/2024 14:11

Nmchnger · 23/04/2024 13:55

However, it isn't really fair to blame the agents, who were only acting on the instructions of the clients who paid them. They have a responsibility - and financial motive - to do what they're told.

But surely we're their clients too. After all we paid them the (extortionate) administration fee.

Are you in the U.K.?
Most agents fees have been banned for a few years now.

LauderSyme · 23/04/2024 19:34

Nmchnger · 23/04/2024 13:55

However, it isn't really fair to blame the agents, who were only acting on the instructions of the clients who paid them. They have a responsibility - and financial motive - to do what they're told.

But surely we're their clients too. After all we paid them the (extortionate) administration fee.

Yes I see your point.

I wasn't aware you had been obliged to pay them a large fee. When I was a tenant I was lucky to only pay relatively small administration fees to letting agents, because the LLs paid the major bulk of their costs. I know this is increasingly not always the case.

I think the difference is that the LL instructed the agents to act on their behalf whereas you didn't.

The LL will very likely pay them a lot more for their services than you will, over time. You may have only a short-term business relationship with the agents if you decide to move out, but they will hope to manage the property and future tenancies on behalf of the LL in the long-term.

Stressybetty · 23/04/2024 14:05

This would've been a deal breaker for us, I'm an anxious person and would be constantly worried about making noise, our dog barking, them popping round or looking over the fence, keeping the garden tidy etc.

PuttingDownRoots · 23/04/2024 14:01

Maybe this is why they wanted to be anonymous... so it didn't feel awkward?

wellthisislovely · 23/04/2024 13:59

As Nmchnger says, the Letting Agent works for the LL not the tenant, the LL is the one who pays them.

I do accounts work for a LA and the tenants don't pay any fees at all.

OhmygodDont · 23/04/2024 13:57

Nmchnger · 23/04/2024 13:55

However, it isn't really fair to blame the agents, who were only acting on the instructions of the clients who paid them. They have a responsibility - and financial motive - to do what they're told.

But surely we're their clients too. After all we paid them the (extortionate) administration fee.

Nope. The landlord is the one paying them monthly a percentage of your rent. Your the customer but they are the client.

Bit like supermarkets. Hienz don’t care who buys the soup from Sainsbury’s they just want the money sainsburys give them. Landlord is Sainsbury’s, agent is Heinz’s. Your just the person who buys the soup.

Original poster
Nmchnger · 23/04/2024 13:55

However, it isn't really fair to blame the agents, who were only acting on the instructions of the clients who paid them. They have a responsibility - and financial motive - to do what they're told.

But surely we're their clients too. After all we paid them the (extortionate) administration fee.

OP posts:
OhmygodDont · 23/04/2024 13:53

It’s not much different to moving in to a house the landlord just left tbh if they got on with their neighbours your be just as “watched”.

I think most landlords just wouldn’t want you knocking every half an hour for something. Maybe a sibling/parent/child lived there and now no longer does.

Unless they are constantly going on about being your landlord and poking their noses over the fence and what not. I’d try to just great them as any other neighbour.